The “Carbon Budget”. Darling tried to give it his own name before the press did – hard luck Alastair, but nice try. The commentators are much more interested in calling it the “50 percent budget”. You will have read or heard or seen the plethora of fairly aggressive reaction from mainstream media on the finances of the budget, but how will it reflect on renewable energy?

We have assembled a summary of reactions from key commentators for your reading pleasure bellow, enjoy.

Nicholas Stern - hear it from the big man
A fairly placid reaction that sits on the fence somewhat – he seems happy, particularly that emissions targets have finally been set.

“The measures outlined in the budget are a significant step towards building a clear and credible programme of practical policies that will allow the UK to meet its targets for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2009/apr/22/nicholas-stern-climate-change-budget-reaction

John Sauven Greenpeace executive director
A more direct response! Greenpeace disappointed with financial support for green industries and lack of aviation discussion on the agenda

”This budget was a mixed bag, with a few positive announcements that were more than outweighed by a striking paucity of ambition. Ministers tell us climate change is the great challenge of our time, but the money found for renewables and energy efficiency is only marginally more than Mr Darling found earlier this year for RBS bonuses. The Obama administration says it won’t let the economic crisis go to waste and is promising to reshape the U.S. economy in response to global warming, while here Gordon Brown says the same thing then holds out a fistful of pennies.”

http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/climate/trying-solve-climate-crisis-fistful-pennies-20090422

Adam Bruce, British Wind Energy Association Chairman
Welcomes the budget package with open arms

"This package of measures deserves a welcome from our industry, and is in line with proposals that we have been working through with government. It addresses the short-term economic hurdles we faced due to the fall of the £ against the €, and the post-Lehman collapse in project finance.”

http://www.bwea.com/media/news/articles/wind_industry_gives_thumbsup_t.html

Philip Wolfe, Director General of the Renewables Energy Association
Measures are not enough

“We are allocating substantially less to sustainable energy during the global downturn than other countries and this will leave our world class renewables businesses at a competitive disadvantage. The additional £405m support for the Low Carbon Industrial Strategy may help bridge this gap, but there are so few details it is hard to know.”

Simon Hughes, spokesman for the Lib Dems on energy and climate change
Plans don’t add up

"Labour’s energy and carbon budget proposals are weak and contradictory.
Ministers simply can’t claim such enthusiasm for renewable energy while coal and nuclear power plants remain so central to their plans.

The Government is simply dripping a little more money into small and ineffective energy efficiency plans. This is small change, not the start of the energy revolution Britain needs.”

http://www.libdems.org.uk/home/budget-2009-pick-and-mix-budget-fails-on-all-counts-237096317;show

Andrew Simms of The New Economics Foundation
The budget was “More beige than green.”

It’s as if the Chancellor wants to ‘have his planet and eat it.’

http://neftriplecrunch.wordpress.com/2009/04/22/budget-reaction-more-beige-than-green/

Alan Moore, the Chair of the Government's Renewables Advisory Board and outgoing Chair of BWEA's Marine Strategy Group
Great for marine and other emerging technologies 

 

"The £405M for low carbon technologies development and deployment is a very promising and much needed budget decision. The wave and tidal industry has been fighting for support over the past years and only through determined efforts has made steady progress and established the UK as the world leader in this field. With this boost we should see the UK speeding the progress towards exploiting our massive indigenous wave and tidal energy potential."

http://www.bwea.com/media/news/articles/wind_industry_gives_thumbsup_t.html

Now you are an expert give your vote at the Guardian poll on whether the budget was green enough:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2009/apr/22/budget-2009-green-poll